“Yes, we’ll find some other place to hide. I’ll think about it tonight.”
He released a soft growl. Then he set his mug down on the table before reaching for both of her hands.
As his warm fingers circled hers, she tried not to think about the strength in his touch as well as the gentleness. He was such a mixture of both qualities, and she loved that about him.
“Hear me out.” He studied her hands and avoided her gaze.
“Okay.”
“I know you won’t like the idea. But it’s the best one.”
She wouldn’t like it? She wanted to protest right away, but she had told him she would listen to his plan.
“I think the best thing to do,” he started, then stopped and cleared his throat.
He was nervous. That could only mean the plan really was one she wouldn’t like. She grew motionless, her heart filling with a whisper of dread.
“It doesn’t have to be permanent, and it doesn’t have to be real,” he rushed to say. “It can be temporary and in name only. And you can leave whenever you want. I won’t hold you back. And I promise I won’t be upset at you.”
What was he talking about?
He chanced a glance up. “What do you think?”
“About what?”
“I’m saying…” He dropped his attention to the floor, his expression etched with embarrassment. “All I’m saying is that if you agree to it, Claude won’t come after you.”
“Agree to what?” As soon as the words left her mouth she knew.
He was proposing marriage again.
She jerked her hands free from his and took a step back.
“Don’t say no right away, Violet.” He let his hands fall to his sides.
Her heart started pounding with the speed of a runaway carriage, the same way it had the first time he’d proposed to her.
Sterling’s forehead furrowed, as though he could sense her mounting panic.
But why was she panicking? She didn’t want fear to be her first reaction to marrying him.
“We’ll get married on paper.” He spoke calmly and quietly. “But nothing will change between us. We’ll pretend for the community and everyone to keep Claude away. Once this is all over, you’re free to go. I won’t hold you here.”
Her runaway pulse began to slow to a normal pace, and she inhaled a full breath. She could handle this situation differently than she had before. Because this time was different. He wasn’t asking her to marry him out of love. He was doing it because he was a kind man and wanted to help her out of a dangerous situation.
She breathed out again and let the tension ease from her shoulders. As she did so, she felt a small stab of disappointment. At herself for her reaction. She obviously still had work to do in overcoming her fears. However, in this moment, she couldn’t let those fears stop her from considering Sterling’s idea.
He was watching her, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Did he think she was rejecting him again? She had to reassure him that she cared about him, that her hesitancy had more to do withherthanhim. Should she just admit she loved him? Would that help? Or would it only make things worse?
Hadn’t he indicated that he didn’t want to stay married to her, that the arrangement would only be temporary? She hadn’t misunderstood him, had she?
“How long would we stay together?” The question wasn’t exactly what she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure how to push deeper and find out how he really felt about it.
He hesitated. “Only as long as necessary to make sure you’re safe.”
So he really didn’t want anything permanent. “So the marriage would be just for show?”
“We would need a ceremony, probably tomorrow morning, to prove that we’re married. After that, we won’t need to do anything different than what we are now.”
